Improvement in trace-fastener



F. M. WELLER. Whifiletree Hook.

Patented Oct. -6, 1868.

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Letters Patent No. 82,906, dated October 6, 1868; antedated September 24, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT in TRAGE-FASTENER.

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TO ALL- WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:

Be it known that I, .FAYEETE M. WEIiLER, of the city of Chicago, in the State of Illinois, have invented}; new and useful Improvement in Trace-Fasteners; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear,

and exact description of the-construction and operation of the same, reference being bad to the annex edf drawings, and the letters marked thereon, making apart of this specification. I f Figure 5 represents the original hook, invented and-patented by me Jannary19, 1864, Abeing the hook, with its anterior projection or shoulder, a, its posterior projection provided with the barb or guard a and its convex border 6.

Figure 1 shows my improvement thereon, and consistsTof the same hook, curved on its flat surface, and

' marked A, its convex surface, a, being upward.

Figure Qpresents an end view of the same curved hook, in the same position aslin fig.

Figure 2 is the same as fig. 2, with its concave surface upward. I v

Figure 3 shows the same curved hook, its convex surface, a, upward, and, by means of the'bentshaft (2, its position on the'whifile-trec reversed, so that the convex border, 6, is turned inwards, to face its fellow on the opposite end of. the whiflle-treel Figure 4 shows the same with its concave surface turned upward.

Thus the nature of my idvent ion eonsists in a hook, which,'by its peculiarity of form, without the aid of springs, Keys, or other additional contrivance, enables the traces of a harness to be readily 'securely'att'ached to a whiffle-tree, for any purpose of light or heavy draught, in a manner superior to what has heretofore been' effected.

To enable others skilled in the art to quake-and use my invention, I will further describe its operation. First. The hook applied to the whifiie-tree, with the convex surface, 0, upward, as in figs. 1, 2, and 3, the

whifiie-tree being attached loosely, as by a cle'vis, to the evener o r cross-bar. When the trace slackens, the

whiflie-tree will roll forward, bringing the shoulder a below the ,lower border of the trace-eye, thus securely holding the tracein ,its place. But if, by any accident, the trace-eye should be thrown over the shouldera, before the whifile-tree'r'olls forward, still the form of the hook is such, that it cannot be accidentally detached,

and,.on agaiubeing tightened, the eye will glide smoothly beneath the ihferiororooncave surface of the convex border 6 back to its proper .position, while the w'hifiie-tree is again brought horizontal to the line of draught. Second. The hook applied with the concave surface upward, either direct or reversed, the whifile-tree v being allowed to roll,'or fixed so that it cannot, the elevationof the posterior'part of the hook, with its barb or guard ct, affords the most perfect immunity to the accidental detachment of the trace.

Third. The elevation of the posterior'part of the hook, with its barb a, as shown in fig. 2', ali'ords greater facility for hooking and unhooking the trace, besides the'point will not ride the shaft, as isthe case sometimes with the original hook.

Fourth. In the hook reversed, as in figs. 3 and 4, the curvature throws the point above or below the whiflle' tree, and renders it more convenientfor booking and unhooking, and enables the shaft d to be made shorter than it otherwise could be. i

Thus, by the curvature, the hook isadapted to all kinds of whiflie tree, and for all uses, and is convenient for traces provided with iron eye, or only a slot. a I

I do not claim the book A, as shown in fig. 5, for thatis aprevlous invention, and the subject of my patent of January 19, 1864; nor do I claim merely a curved hook, for other curved hooks may have been made before; butr v The curved book A, to be placed on the whifiietree, in' the manner asrepresented by figs. 1,2, 3, and 4,

is the improvement which Idesire to secure by Letters Patent; hence, I also claim the curved hook A, constructed. and arranged substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth and described.

FAYETTE M. WELLER. Witnesses:

J. B. Tuncnm, 'L. H. LANE. 

